And Justice for All
by MechaUltimaZero
Summary: Clare swears vengeance for her mother figure, but is determined to obey Teresa's dying wish: to live as a human. Clare not only must slay Priscilla and prevent the Organization from getting Teresa's remains, but also become strong. Minor x-over later.
1. Scene 0: Prelude

… And Justice For All

_Prelude: Burn it to the Ground_

**Here's an attempt at a Claymore fanfic. I don't know if anyone else has tried this particular idea before, but I don't think so. The premise is this: Clare still vows to avenge Teresa by killing Priscilla, but she also chooses to follow her "mother's" wishes by remaining a human. Therefore, we have one smokin' hot badass HUMAN woman trying to kill another lady with as much power as an Abyssal One, and eventually bring down the Organization. And yes, until I can think of a better title, I'm ripping off Metallica. Also, if you have a complaint about something, I'd be more than happy to hear it in a review, SO LONG AS YOU'RE REASONABLE ABOUT SAYING IT.**

**Also, pairing will probably be Clare/OC and OC/Miria (two different OCs, not one hooking up with both of them), or else Clare/OC/Miria (yes, that means I'm willing to take a stab at a multi-pairing…**_**this**_** time… and which IS the one OC hooking up with both Miria and Clare). This is non-negotiable. End of that particular discussion before it even gets off the ground. Don't ask why. Because to be honest, I don't know either. All I do know is that I have issues with Raki, while Father Vincent, Sid, and Galk aren't cool OR important enough to get the female protagonist, and I'll be damned before I hook her up with Isley, Rigaldo, some dude out of the Organization. And Riful (so cute, and yet so terrifying when brought to anger!) knows where I live, so I'm not pairing Clare with Dauf, either – not that anyone even bordering on sane should consider that…**

**Speaking of which, I'm making a very, very slight crossover. And by that, I mean that one of my OCs is basically a Claymore version of a character from something else. It's your job to guess who and from what, but I've already decided. First one of you to guess his identity correctly, though, will get a special mention.**

_Approximately ten years ago…_

A young Clare sat sobbing in the middle of a wasteland that couldn't quite be called a desert in good conscience. She clutched closely the disembodied head of the one person who had, beyond the shadow of a doubt, been as important to Clare as air to breathe – scratch that, even more important than oxygen.

Teresa of the Faint Smile.

Just moments ago, another Claymore named Priscilla had Awakened before killing Teresa, the woman whom Clare had viewed as a sister, a mother, and perhaps even a Goddess all rolled into one beautiful package.

To Clare, Teresa hadn't just been like food, water, or oxygen – something that she needed to live… No, Teresa had been more like the sun, the symbol of life itself, bringer of light and happiness into a world of sorrow and hate.

And now, because of Priscilla, that light was gone, permanently. Never again would Teresa give that faint smile for which she was so well known. Teresa wouldn't ever be able to cry, to scream, to provide safety or comfort, to laugh, or get that mischievous glint in her eyes when she was teasing her, yet Clare was too dense to realize it was just a joke.

All of it was gone, and it was never coming back.

To be honest, Clare's first impulse had been to look for someone from the Organization and demand to be made a Claymore, but she instantly quelled that idea before it could be given even the slightest chance to take hold: if it hadn't been for the Organization, Teresa would still be alive, and Clare wouldn't be having this problem right now.

"It's all their fault. Priscilla killed her, but it's _their_ fault for hunting us down in the first place. I'll be damned a thousand times before I go to their doorstep, begging for help."

And more importantly than that, Teresa's last words to Clare took priority over everything else: "I want you to live as a human, Clare. That is the greatest gift I can give you."

Clare didn't understand why that was so, but she refused to question Teresa's judgment. She would follow her mother/sister/goddess's final wishes, and remain a human for the rest of her life, if at all possible.

Even so, however, Clare was still determined to get revenge.

"Teresa, I promise that I won't let them get away with this. I'll stay a human like you wanted me to, but I can't forgive them for taking you away from me. If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill Priscilla and bring the Organization to its knees and make them beg for the mercy they denied us, I swear it."

As she said these words, Clare walked over to Teresa's massive sword, picked up what she could, and gave herself a small cut on the palm, sealing her oath with blood.

_Meanwhile, at Organization HQ…_

Rubel, a somewhat high-ranked figure in the Organization, suddenly paused in his rounds, feeling an involuntary shudder down his spine. He somehow got the feeling that he'd either missed an excellent recruiting opportunity, his days were numbered, or both.

In either case, surely he had nothing to worry about, since all of the Claymores were under extreme supervision, and the only recent troublemaker, Teresa of the Faint Smile, was dead. Rubel had half considered attempting to suggest leniency on the Number 1, but had thought better of it, since if it had been ignored, it would've set a bad precedent for the lower-ranked warriors. No, it was better to make sure that they were all treated fairly and exactly the same – no matter how terribly so.

_Three weeks later…_

Clare knew that Claymores were a whole order of magnitudes more powerful than humans, and that Awakened Beings in general (nevermind freaks like Priscilla) were more powerful than Claymores on an individual basis.

But without going to the Organization in order to become a Claymore, Clare had initially not known how to get the kind of power that she needed to carry out her vengeance while still remaining human. She knew that, for an obvious start, she needed to gain some physical strength, until she could hold Teresa's Claymore with one hand. Then, she'd almost certainly need someone to teach her how to use it. But then, Clare thought, why should she restrict herself to swords? If Clare could learn how to use, and eventually master a number of different weapons – including her own body, for instance – then she'd have the advantage most times, since she could change weapons in the middle of a fight, catching her opponent off guard.

As a result, she'd taken to wandering through various towns and villages, looking for a specific idea to get her started. Not that she wasn't making any effort of her own – far from it: Clare had, for lack of any better ideas, begun doing push-ups and the like to increase her strength, and also running laps around a small section of forest with Teresa's Claymore strapped to her back. Okay, it was really more like limping/crawling laps, considering her physical strength (or to be honest, lack thereof), and also her small stature.

In order to avoid attracting undue attention, Clare hid the Claymore in a safe place (read: in a high place, so perilously perched that Clare repeatedly risked her life to get it up there, not to mention getting it back down…), and put Teresa's head with it as a guardian.

Clare was currently, as she often did, essentially touring the town, looking for someone who appeared to be strong enough to teach her what she needed to know, would be WILLING to do so, and wouldn't betray her to the Organization or to Yoma.

However, Clare wasn't able to sustain herself on willpower alone – she needed to eat, so in order to afford food, she offered to do odd jobs from time to time while in town. Since she'd just been paid for helping a widow sell her dead husband's things, Clare went to a local tavern to get some lunch. Little did she know, however, that her search for power might at last yield fruit.

The tavern/inn was nearly empty when Clare arrived to get some food, but considering the time of day, that was to be expected: after all, the majority of people would still be working, if they had a job.

Naturally, though, the pleasant silence had to be destroyed all too soon. There was someone new sitting at the counter, drinking hard liquor. He was clad entirely in black, like someone from the Organization, except that his jacket was in tatters, and his unruly black hair fell over his eyes in such as way that glasses weren't needed to hide eye color. For some odd reason, though, Clare knew that there was more to this man then met the eye, but she couldn't place it. He wasn't the problem, though – the man just sat at the counter, minding his own business.

Looking around, Clare noticed that there happened to be a couple of Claymores in the bar as well, presumably because they had either a mission in town, or were on the way to somewhere else.

Just as Clare made this observation, _that's_ when the Yoma burst through the wall – evidently, humans weren't the only people to get their meals in _this_ establishment. There were two of them, the first (and coincidentally, ugliest) of whom noticed the stranger at the bar, and dashed at him at speeds almost beyond the range of the human eye.

However, just as it seemed that the man was going to be killed, he kicked away from the counter and wheeled around to face his assailant, quickly deflecting the Yoma's claw strike with his arm – not blocking it, but rather pushing it out of the way.

Then, he grabbed onto the counter for support with his right hand, and lashed out at the Yoma's stomach with a devastating kick using his left leg.

Seeing his partner getting humiliated by a mere _human_, the second Yoma extended his claws into spears which he thrust at the peculiar fighter, although he simply picked up the first Yoma by the head and used it for a meat-shield before ducking out of the way.

Then, he seemed to fade into the background for a moment, before he reappeared directly in front of the second Yoma and let him have a swift right hook, which was powerful enough to not only knock the demon to the ground, but the fist actually went _through_ the Yoma's face, such was the impact force. Then, before it could get back up, the man in black stepped on the Yoma's larynx, crushing it. It had all happened so fast that the Claymores were only halfway out of their seats, and every human in the room was paralyzed from awe and terror.

As the suffocating Yoma's struggling began to subside, the man turned to the bartender and said, "Get me another round."

Snapping out of his shock, said barkeep quickly went about doing as his customer bade him, the Claymores sat back down, and Clare, seeing an opportunity, began walking in his direction.

"Excuse me, mister, but would you be willing to help me with something?"

Seeing that it was a little girl who spoke to him, the stranger replied, "Depends on what that something is."

Clare answered, "Please, mister, I need you to train me so that I can avenge someone who was close to me."

Taking another huge gulp of alcohol, the man in black returned, "First off, in the even that I _do_ consent to this insanity of yours, what's in it for me? And secondly, again, in the event that I agree to train you, _what will you do after you've gotten your vengeance, if you're not killed in pursuit of it first?_ I'm waiting for an answer, small fry."

Clare paused for a moment – she honestly hadn't thought about what she'd do after the fact, nor did could she come up with a satisfactory reason for him to help her.

The man sighed a bit as he said, "That's what I thought. You're so caught up in hatred at the person or thing that killed your loved one that you can't see past it; you're rendered blind by your lust for revenge. Whoever you're trying to avenge, kid, nothing's going to change. Even if you kill the person who killed your loved one, it won't change a thing. They're dead, and they'll never be coming back. And since it was probably a Yoma that you're wanting to kill, go talk to the Claymores on the other side of the room – their Organization can make you one of them, and then you can go off killing as many Yoma as you like, and get paid for it, too. Another round, barkeep."

Clare responded, "That idea had already occurred to me, mister, but no matter what, I won't become a Claymore, even though I have to kill a Voracious Eater!"

At that declaration, all three of the Claymores' heads instantly snapped in Clare's direction, all attention on her. What kind of girl that age ever even _considered_ becoming a Claymore by choice, and then decided not to while vowing to kill an Awakened Being?

Even the man in black paused suddenly, shot glass stopping in the air mid-way to his mouth. Then, he slowly set down his latest drink and asked, "Let me get this straight: you want to kill a creature the likes of which even most _Claymores_ dare not fight alone, but also you plan to do it while staying as a human. Do you think that's even _possible_, girl?"

Clare genuinely smiled a little as she said, "I know it is, mister. If you can kill those two Yoma in less than a minute with your bare hands, and without breaking a sweat, then I'm pretty sure I can kill a Voracious Eater, if you'll teach me how to fight. And after I kill Priscilla and avenge Teresa, I'll probably hunt down more of those Yoma and Voracious freaks, so that other people don't have to go through what I am right now."

At this new revelation, two of the three Claymores had fainted outright from disbelief, while their leader, (who happened to be in the single-digits, and thus wasn't affected as badly) simply shook her head in doubt, muttering 'you don't know if that guy's human, though…'

The stranger, who was by this point beginning to become less and less of one, asked, "Okay then, it looks like you've got a plan in case of success, but you still haven't answered a crucial question: what's in it for me?"

Clare, who believed she was beginning to figure out how her prospective teacher's mind worked, replied with a straight face: "I think you're going to help me, mister. Because if I succeed, then the whole world will know that it was with help from _your_ skills and _your_ tutoring that I was able to kill the world's most powerful monster in history."

Draining his glass once more, the man in black took his first real look at Clare. She was probably eight or nine, though he couldn't be sure, with bright green eyes and soft brown hair. But it wasn't just her physical features that drew his attention; he saw a bonfire in her eyes, an undying flame of determination and passion that couldn't ever be extinguished.

The Yoma-killing wanderer turned away from Clare and towards the wall, and after another few minutes, he said, "Another round, barkeep."

Feeling dejected, Clare was about to turn around and start looking again, when he continued: "And get the kid a drink too, while you're at it. Non-alcoholic. If I'm going to be teaching her anything, then I'm not going to let her start killing off brain cells."

Clare nearly started crying in happiness: finally, someone was going to teach her how to fight monsters that were much stronger than she was. At last, she was finally on the road to avenging Teresa!

Smirking a little at the young girl's tears, though, he drank another few shots before adding, "Having said that, though, understand now that my methods are harsh, and I'll sometimes have you working on five or more different things at the same time. On at least one occasion, you'll probably think of how happy you'll be to attend my funeral. I haven't taken many people under my wing, kid. This is your last chance to back out: do you have what it takes to learn what I can teach?"

Clare blinked away her tears, and thought long and hard for a few moments about the question. She wasn't necessarily certain what he thought it took, but while on the run with Teresa, she'd once heard an old man mention that "grit counts more than steel."

And so, summoning all of her courage and determination, she stared into her new teacher's cobalt eyes and nodded.

The man was silent for a few seconds, before he began looking into his glass and said, "That look in your eyes… you'll do well."

**Now then, even though I'll be writing the next chapter, I can't publish it – or at least with his name, until at least one of you loyal reviewers can correctly guess his identity and origin. Not to be completely unfair, though, I'll give you some hints.**

**1) He's from a category that for which I've written one chapter, but it hasn't gotten any reviews yet (since I checked a few minutes ago).**

**2) He's neither the central protagonist nor the main villain, although he is an antagonist for a short story arc.**

**3) His appearance in this fanfic and his appearance in his home universe are NOT exactly the same (although similar), so don't fall into that trap.**

**4) He fights with a sword. **

**5) The first letter of his last name is the same as the second letter of his first name. **

**6) While he's going to seem very OOC when you first think about it, I think that this version is one of the plausible outcomes in his home universe, given a couple of years or so.**


	2. Scene 1: On the Road

… And Justice For All

_Scene 1: On the Road_

**Summary: Clare still vows to avenge Teresa by killing Priscilla, but she also chooses to follow her "mother's" wishes by remaining a human. Therefore, we have one smokin' hot badass HUMAN woman trying to kill another lady with as much power as an Abyssal One, and eventually bring down the Organization.**

**Rating: T for language, content, and eventual violence; may change rating to M in future chapters. **

**If you have a complaint about something, I'd be more than happy to hear it in a review, SO LONG AS YOU'RE REASONABLE ABOUT SAYING IT.**

**These people correctly guessed the name of Clare's mysterious mentor: Targul, shadowzerover5, and the Gundam Kaizer. Therefore, this chapter is for them.**

* * *

_Last time, on "… And Justice For All"…_

_Clare, after witnessing Teresa's beheading, has sworn to avenge her "mother" by taking the head of the murderer – Priscilla, who is perhaps the most powerful Awakened Being in history. Not only that, but she also vows to do so while remaining a human, as per Teresa's final wishes. Clare convinces a lethal stranger to teach her how to fight and survive after witnessing him decimate a pair of Yoma with his bare hands and come out unscathed._

_Four days after we last left off…_

* * *

Clare, subconsciously thinking back to her time with Teresa, asked her new teacher, "So, mister, do you have a name, or can I give you a name and just hope it's your real one?" as a playful smile graced her lips.

The target of the question was preoccupied dealing with his map as he answered, "Could've sworn I'd told you already: my name is Shisui."

Raising an eyebrow, Clare asked, "Shisui, huh? That's an interesting name."

Eyebrow twitching as he oriented based on the sun (to make sure he didn't have the map upside-down), he replied, "Is there a problem with my name? If so, then don't think for a second I won't ditch you in the next town… whenever I find it, at any rate."

Quickly realizing what she'd said, Clare held up her hands in a placating gesture as she apologized, "No, no, I'm sorry if I offended you, I was just curious and commenting on how it sounds so different from most other names I've heard. Not that that's a bad thing, of course!"

Sighing, Shisui elucidated a bit: "I'm from another continent. Over there, names like Teresa and Clare are as unheard of as Shisui is in this region."

Clare made a remark along the lines of "Oh, I see," but Shisui wasn't paying that much attention at the moment, since he and his new protégée were, without a doubt, lost.

Sighing in exasperation, Shisui was, at least, able to find the road, after which he said, "All right then, we'll just camp out here until someone with a reliable map comes around. Until then, we'll go ahead and start your training."

With this declaration, Clare practically leapt into the air with joy while Shisui dug around in his pack. "And for right now, we'll begin with physical conditioning." **(1)**

Producing a set of weighted bands, he continued, "You had the right idea trying to run laps around a given area with Teresa's sword on your back, but it's too inefficient. I have, in both hands, a total of sixty pounds of dead weight, which you are going to wear as you run laps. Sixty pounds may not sound like all that much right now, but each week from now on, I'm going to increase your weights by five pounds on each limb."

As the Slayer in Black (a nickname the Claymore leader from the last town had bestowed upon Shisui) explained that it would gradually increase her movement speed, endurance, the physical strength of each arm and leg, and also improve her cardiovascular system, he went ahead and helped Clare strap on her weights, showing her how best to add and remove each brace, so that she could eventually do it on her own, and quickly if she had to.

Shisui then drew his sword, which while nothing like a Claymore's broadsword, was easily just as lethal. It was a cobalt blue katana which, for some reason, he called "Samurai X", and even though it didn't have anywhere near the mass behind it that a Claymore did blow per blow, it was relatively faster, more accurate, and evidently much sharper.

After a second of contemplating how he wanted to go about it, Shisui became a blurry outline for a bit as he ran through the forest, cutting down trees four and even eight feet thick in single swipes – while the blade wasn't that long, it was still making gashes that size, though Clare couldn't imagine how.

Ten seconds after he started, Shisui appeared back where Clare had seen him last, and he resheathed his sword before pointing at what he'd done and saying, "All right then, now I'm going to explain your first exercise in detail. With sixty pounds of dead weight slowing you down, I want you to traverse the 200-meter course I just prepared for you, and considering that you're being held back, in addition to the uneven terrain… 1:45 is about as fair of a target time as I'm going to give you. I don't expect you to finish in that time on your first attempt; instead, I expect you to fail miserably, at which point we record your time. Then, I expect you to try it again, and most likely fail again, but do slightly better than before. We're going to stay here and have you train like this at least until you can do it in 1:45 or less. Oh, and remember that if you can't do it in less than a week, I'll be upping your weights. On Wednesdays, you'll be carrying Teresa's sword, which is going to slow you down further. Have you got it so far? Good, because it only gets trickier from here on out. Once you can do it in under 1:15, you won't be running on the ground anymore – instead, you'll be jumping from stump to stump, and eventually I'm going to expect you to manage three laps in the space of a minute. Don't look at me like that, Clare. Face it: you and I _both_ know that a single-digit Claymore could complete twenty laps or more within as many seconds, and being slowed down by more than five times their normal body weight. Compared to that, I'm spoiling you with four sets of training wheels. HOWEVER, since I'm making you carry Teresa's sword on Wednesdays and you'll have to try to hold off my attacks with it on Thursday (still running and jumping through the course with weights on, I might add)…."

Pausing a few minutes to intentionally build the suspense, he finally concluded, "I'll give you Friday to run through the course _without_ weights at all, partially as a reward for putting up with my insane methods on the two days before, and partially to gradually let your muscles begin to rest. Saturday is pretty much going to be a free day physically, but I'm still going to be teaching you things, mostly how to use weapons and/or martial arts. You'll have to get up and exert yourself, but nothing anywhere near as strenuous as on Thursday. All right then, the explanation is over, now start running before I decide I have to chase you."

A few minutes later, when Clare was well out of earshot, but still easily seen, Shisui wondered aloud, "Hrm…. Should I have told her about the pitfall traps? Nah, they'll keep her thinking on her feet. Actually, I'm surprised she hasn't fallen into one of them yet. Hrm. In any case, I'll go get some lunch for when she's finished her first lap."

Suddenly hearing Clare swear at him from that great distance (Clare had nearly fallen into a trap, but was able to sidestep it at the last second), Shisui shouted, "HEY! I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO SLOW DOWN YET, DID I? NO, I DIDN'T? THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! I SAID I WAS HARSH, DIDN'T I?"

Then, talking to himself again, Shisui added, "Believe it or not, you'll thank me for this hell eventually."

* * *

Three weeks later…

"Well, Clare, let me be honest with you. I never expected you to finish this segment of the training in three weeks. And you have completely shocked me beyond belief – you completed my original training requirements in just two weeks, and have surpassed them in the six and a half days since. As a reward for your hard work, you'll have the next three weeks to recover for the next part, which is actually going to focus on sword training. Until then, - excuse me, but do any of you three happen to have a decent map?"

The reason for Shisui's sudden divergence from the original topic was the arrival of three Claymores, one of whom he recognized from the bar last month.

She also appeared to be the leader, and said, "We haven't got a map, but so long as you don't get in the way, you can follow us to the next town, where you could buy one. Is that acceptable?"

Shisui suddenly gave Clare a look that said something along the lines of 'help me pack everything NOW or your next session will be ten times worse than the hell you just got out of', and with the young girl's help, EVERYTHING that had previously been unpacked was now packed and taking up the absolute minimum amount of space in less than two minutes – a feat which would've taken normal humans at least twenty.

As this was going on, one of the other Claymores whined, "C'mon Eirika, do we _really_ need them slowing us down? If we left 'em here, we could get there and kill the damned thing by the end of the week; with these two tagging along, it'll take us twice the time!"

The third woman of the group added, "Not to be as rude as Alexis, but she does bring up a good point, Commander."

The commander of the group, now identified as Eirika, sighed and began rubbing her temple as she responded, "Look, I know that both of you were looking forward to some down time after this mission, but if we let these two come with us, then a) we have a bit more time to relax before things get crazy, and b) who knows? Maybe some fresh perspectives will help with stress relief."

Alexis countered, "You _do_ know what they call you, right? 'Eirika of the Bleeding Heart'? You're not exactly helping your case. Everytime some helpless somebody-or-other sheds a tear, you always have to play the hero and get involved."

Eirikia asked, "Is it really so wrong that I genuinely want to help people?"

Before either of the other Claymores would answer, Clare interrupted: "No, it isn't. The world needs a lot more people with bleeding hearts. People like you… and Teresa…"

Alexis, confused, asked, "Teresa? Why on earth would the world need more traitors like her?"

This proved the wrong thing to say, as Clare immediately picked up Teresa's broadsword and lunged at the woman who had _dared_ to speak ill of her goddess, savagely attacking in an overhead slash, shouting, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT TERESA THAT WAY!" When Alexis was barely able to evade the attack in her surprise, Clare simply grit her teeth and ran at her target again, attacking with every fiber of her being. There was no rhyme or reason to Clare's barrage – there was nothing but the pain of losing Teresa, fueling anger and hate; fiery emotions which revitalized Clare's weary muscles, gave her a strength she hadn't previously possessed.

The third Claymore, whose name hadn't yet been spoken, quickly rushed behind Clare and attempted to restrain the young girl, but Clare heard the footsteps and was able to react on a split-second impulse, partially turning around. The warrior in training knew that she wouldn't be able to attack with her sword quickly enough, so instead, she stuck out her fist and held it there, effectively punching her new adversary in the gut.

Blinded by rage, Clare began raising Teresa's sword to cleave the stunned warrior in two, but Shisui quickly intervened, wrenching the blade out of his student's hands and tossing her face-first to the ground.

The man then calmly said, "Now listen up Clare, and listen well. I understand that what Alexis said must have hurt you deeply, but a casual, ignorant remark from a stranger doesn't give you the right to just fly off the handle and start trying to kill people. That rage of yours can be a powerful asset, but if you don't learn to control it, you will become its slave. And then, you won't be much better than Priscilla or any other Awakened Being. Looks like I'll have to teach you anger management next, rather than swordsmanship. Now then, once you've gotten control over yourself, I want you to apologize to Alexis, Eirika, and –"

"Lenneth."

"And Lenneth. In the future, I expect you to know when it's acceptable to go berserk, and when it isn't. Am I clear?"

Clare, much calmer now but still bitter, replied, "Yes. I understand you perfectly. Alexis, Eirika, Lenneth, I'm sorry for trying to kill you, attacking your teammates, and punching you in the stomach, respectively."

Shisui, now back to his previous mood, released his charge and apologized once more. "I'm also sorry about my student's behavior, but you must understand that Teresa was… very important to Clare. Perhaps more important to her than any single person ever was to another. And then, Clare was forced to witness Priscilla execute her… I won't tell you the rest of the story, beyond that Clare vows to avenge Teresa while honoring her wishes to stay human."

Lenneth and Alexis gasped, while Eirika merely raised an eyebrow. No matter how many times she heard that claim, she just couldn't help but be surprised. But then, she surprised everyone herself by replying, "And you've been training her, correct?"

Shisui nodded in affirmation, and Eirika complimented, "Quite frankly, I'm very impressed by both of you. I saw you a bit more than a month ago, and you hadn't begun then… Yet just now, Clare was able to temporarily subdue a Warrior ranked in the low teens, and kept a mid-twenty on the defensive for a couple of seconds – feats I've never heard of anyone but another Warrior accomplishing. If little Clare can progress to such a level in this short a time, then she might actually be able to achieve her ambition… in around ten years or so. Understand, though, that you'd still have trouble with even normal Yoma for a good while yet, since they wouldn't have to hold back like we do."

Clare, who by this point had managed to get up and retrieve her sword, looked at the Claymore leader with a blank face for a moment before turning to the side and spitting out a small glob of dirt, after which she softly replied, "Thanks, Eirika."

Clearly still bitter about the incident, Clare nonetheless remained silent and followed after the trio of Claymores alongside her teacher, who began a brief lecture about the proper time to go berserk, and how to recognize it. After around ten minutes of talking, though, Shisui got bored and pulled out a book of Sudoku puzzles and got to work.

When Lenneth and Alexis gave him odd looks, Shisui said, "What? A guy can't have a hobby?"

At that moment, though, Eirika stopped in her tracks and drew her sword, argent eyes flashing to gold. "It's here. Shisui, get Clare to safety – against an Awakened Being, she'll just get in our way. Alexis, Lenneth, this one's going to be tough."

A previously unheard male voice called out, **"Right you are, woman!"**

A truly enormous humanoid-looking behemoth with a face at once like a dog and a bull and wielding a massive axe-like sword shouted, **"In my time as a warrior, I was ranked #8! I am Ingram the Bull! And YOU! ARE! DOOOOOOOOOMED!" (2)**

To punctuate his boasting, Ingram brought his humongous weapon to bear in an attempt to crush Eirika and Lenneth, only for them both to dodge.

As the dust cleared, Shisui calmly put his book back in his pocket and said, "Eirika's right – Clare, get yourself to a point of relative safety, but stay close enough to watch. That way, you'll get another idea of the power you're up against."

Clare, who by this point had learned that _sometimes_ it was best to do what one was told, quickly went to comply. Ingram noticed and attempted to reach out and grab her, asking, **"Where are **_**you**_** running off to, **_**little**_** one? THIS PARTY HAS JUST BEGUN!"**

Just as he was about to grasp the fleeing child, Shisui's hand was enveloped in a bright flash of light, and then the earth trembled slightly as Ingram's green scaled index and middle fingers hit the dirt, cleanly severed at the knuckle. Not quite as calmly, Shisui said, "No one lays a hand on my student without my approval. Much less a scumbag like you seem to be. Did you have to tie lunchmeat around your neck to make the family dog play with you?"

Alexis was openly laughing for a moment, until Ingram smirked and said, **"That was quite a nice cut of yours, human. But if that is all you have to rely on, then you are, quite frankly, **_**fucked**_**."**

Alexis abruptly quit laughing as new fingers burst from the severed stumps, while Ingram's predatory grin grew and grew until it had become a slasher smile as he flexed his new fingers, which were in perfect working order as if he'd had them for years.

Shisui rubbed the bridge of his nose, annoyed, Lenneth frowned, Alexis gaped, and Eirika, despite her skill and confidence in her team, summed up the situation quite well with two words.

"Oh my."

* * *

**(1) I'm going to combine training methods I've seen in various manga, including **_**Naruto**_**, **_**Buso Renkin**_**, and others.**

**(2) Ingram is completely of my creation, at least to my knowledge. For his shape, imagine a Behemoth's bipedal form in **_**Final Fantasy XIII**_**. As for his voice… whoever it was that voiced VenomMyotismon in the original **_**Digimon**_**.**

**The next chapter will contain the battle with Ingram the Bull.**


End file.
